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Turning the tide of unemploymentAg tiontú taoide na dífhostaíochta
Learning Together :The Incredible Years
A Report on the Progress of the Incredible Years Project in Limerick City
Dr. Carol O’Sullivan, Mary Immaculate College, LimerickProf. Mark Morgan, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra and Trinity College Dublin
Incredible Years PAUL PartnershipPeople Action Against Unemployment Limited
T 061 419388
F 061 418098
W www.paulpartnership.ie
L IMER ICK
Incredible Years
LIMER ICK
Incredible Years
LimerickSocial ServiceCouncil Ltd
Comhairle Sheirbhís Sóisialta Luimnigh Teo
About the authorsDr. Carol O’Sullivan is a lecturer in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) in Mary Immaculate College,Limerick. She is also co-ordinator of Health Promotion within the college. Her research interests include:Implementation of the SPHE Curriculum; Impact of Life Skills programmes on the personal and professionaldevelopment of student teachers; Current educational policy in the context of a multicultural society; Relationshipsand Sexuality Education; Health Promotion in the college environment; Alcohol consumption among 3rd levelstudents. Carol is a founder member of the SPHE Network which was established in 2000 and which aims to facilitatethe ongoing development of SPHE as an integral part of both the primary and the post-primary curriculum. Shehas contributed to many publications and conferences and to the development of resources for SPHE.
Prof. Mark Morgan is Professor of Education and Psychology at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, and is acting co-director of Growing up in Ireland. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics and a post-doctoral Fellowof Stanford University. He has been Head of Education, Dean of Education and currently teaches on the Psychologydegree jointly organised by DCU and St. Patrick’s College, as well as supervising Doctoral students.
His research has mainly been in areas of motivation, literacy, evaluation of prevention programmes, and educationaldisadvantage. More recently, his research has focused on the job satisfaction and resilience of beginning teachers.He is the author of over 80 scholarly publications among which are the report on the International Adult LiteracySurvey and the Prison Literacy Survey. He has completed evaluations of several programmes including the RSEprogramme following its launch in 2000 and a follow up of its implementation in post-primary schools in March2007.
“Students typically do not learn alonebut rather in the company of theirpeers, and with the encouragement of
their families”Durlak et al, 2011
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ContentsForeword 5List of Acronyms 6
1. Introduction to Incredible 7Years Limerick
1.1 Introduction 71.2 Background and Context 81.3 Research Aims and Objectives 91.4 Report Outline 9
2. Methodology 102.1 Introduction 102.2 Research Methods 10
3. Key Successes: Programme 13Implementation
3.1 Introduction 133.2. Programme Implementation 133.2.1 Partnership in Action 133.2.2 Extension and Development of 15
Programme3.2.3 Communication 173.2.4 Resources/Content/Teaching 18
Approaches3.2.5 Potential for Embeddedness within
Mainstream Services 193.3 Conclusion 19
4. Impact of Programme: 20Themes Relating to Children,Parents and Teachers
4.1 Introduction 204.2 Children 204.2.1 Theme 1: Improvement in Behaviour 204.2.2 Theme 2: Enhancement of Learning 214.2.3 Theme 3: Children’s Sense of 22
Being Cared For4.3 Parents 24
4.3.1 Theme 1: Confidence in Parenting 244.3.2 Theme 2: Parental Self-Development 254.4 Teachers 264.4.1 Theme 1: Enhancement of 26
Management Skills in Whole SchoolContext
4.4.2 Theme 2: Increased Sense of Efficacy 284.5 Conclusion 28
5. Key Learning 305.1 Introduction 305.2 The Social Capital accruing from IY 305.2 Sustainability 305.3 Organisational Issues 315.4 Conclusion 33
6. Conclusion and Recommendations 346.1 Conclusion 346.2 Recommendations 346.2.1 Future Programme Implementation 346.2.2 Influencing Policy Development 356.2.3 Sustainability and Mainstreaming 366.2.4 Research 37
Selected Bibliography 39Appendix A:Outline of Incredible Years Programmes 42Appendix B:Selected Quantitative Results 45
Participants in2013-14
500children
150parents
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This is a most welcome Report
Incredible Years (IY), designed by CarolynWebster-Stratton is widely re
cognised and acknowledged as an effective
early intervention programme. Since it’s introduction to Limerick in 2
006, via Mary Immaculate College,delivery
of this intervention has expanded from three to twenty two settings ac
ross Limerick city.
During this time, extensive and comprehensive evaluations and resea
rch has been undertaken across all of the
programmes that constitute the IYprogramme.
This Report was commissioned to meet the following objectives of the I
Y Strategic Plan, 2011- 2015:
• To review and analyse all IY Limerick research and evaluation outpu
ts to date (in particular those which were
undertaken post 2009)
• To compile a comprehensive report which tells the story of IY Limeri
ck to date
This report by Dr. Carol O Sullivanand Prof.MarkMorgan highlights t
he many positive outcomes and thelearning
from IY Limerick since its inception.
The critical importance of applying an ecological model, in terms o
f programme implementation i.e.across
numerous settings and groups, is highlighted and reinforced. Additional
ly, the collective responsibility, as evidenced
by the extensive partnership of agencies, which is coordinated by Pa
ul Partnership, is considered a significant
strength and contributor to the success of IY.
High satisfaction levels and notablepositive changes were identified in
the range of research projects/evaluations
undertaken. The inclusion of the children’s voice is a most welcome ad
dition and heart warming in its reading.
This Report very clearly highlightsthe psychological insights and posi
tive educational value that IY has delivered
to participants. It calls for seriousconsideration to having IY mainstr
eamed in the Primary School system. The
significance of “partnership in action” is highlighted and emphasised an
d considered critical for future planning.
Finally, it is of upmost importance that any intervention with families, be
it educational, social and /or psychological,
adheres to the highest recognisedstandards. It is critical that interv
entions are critiqued and independently
reviewed. It is heartening to read, asper this Report, that the adoption an
d implementation of IY across twenty two
school and community settings, isenacting and maintaining positive
change for children and contributing to
assisting us all, parents, clinicians, educators in contributing to improv
ing our efficacy and knowledge base.
The IY Strategic Committee wouldlike to express its sincere gratitude a
nd thanks to both Dr Carol O’Sullivan and
Professor Mark Morgan for their expertise and delivery of this Report.
Additionally the Committee acknowledges the pivotal role that the peop
le / agencies who contribute, take part in,
invest in, and engage with, the programmes play.
The important role of Paul Partnership in terms of its efficacy and c
ompetence is acknowledged and, again, is
envisaged as an important component in the ongoing maintenance an
d development of IY in Limerick.
Chairpersons
Dr. Marguerite O Neill
HSE
Prof. Teresa O Doherty
Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
foreword List of Acronyms
B.Ed Bachelor of EducationBNS Boys National SchoolBPP Basic Parent ProgrammeCDP Community Development ProjectCPD Continuing Professional DevelopmentDEIS Delivering Equality of Education
in SchoolsDES Department of Education and ScienceDIC Dina in the ClassroomEPSEN Education of Persons with Special
Educational NeedsFRC Family Resource CentreGNS Girls National SchoolHSCL Home, School, Community, LiaisonHSE Health Service ExecutiveIPP Infant and Parent ProgrammeIY Incredible YearsLSSC Limerick Social Services CouncilMIC Mary Immaculate CollegeNEPS National Educational Psychological
ServiceNS National SchoolPHN Public Health NurseSDQ Strengths and Difficulties QuestionnaireSEB Social, Emotional, BehaviouralSEL Social and Emotional LearningSGD Small Group DinaSNA Special Needs AssistantSPHE Social, Personal, and Health EducationSRP School Readiness ProgrammeSVP St. Vincent de PaulTCM Teacher Classroom ManagementTPP Toddler and Parent Programme
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teachers showed a high level ofconfidence in managing behaviour
problems in their classroom.
Introduction toIncredible YearsLimerick
1
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Introduction toIncredible YearsLimerick11.1 Introduction The Incredible Years Limerick project (henceforth referred to as IYLimerick in this report) is an inter-disciplinary and multi-agency initiative aimed atreducing children’s aggression and behaviour problems through increasing socialcompetence at home and at school. Incredible Years (IY) is a set of three earlyintervention programmes aimed at parents, teachers and children. The programmes aredesigned to promote emotional and social competence and to prevent, reduce, andtreat aggression and emotional problems in young children (0-12 years). In the long-term, the goal of Incredible Years programmes is to reduce violence, drug abuse anddelinquency in later years. These proximal and distal goals are accomplished bypromoting parent, teacher and child competencies (See Figure 1). IY Limerick is notablefor the fact that it has succeeded in implementing and evaluating all elements of the IYprogramme – Child, Parent and Teacher programmes.1 The successes, learnings andpotential of IY will feature significantly throughout this report.
Incredible Years has been identified as one of eleven international blueprint evidence-based programmes that may be able to address children’s needs using a communitybased approach.
Developed in Seattle, by Dr. Caroline Webster-Stratton, IY has achieved internationalrecognition and acclaim and is now widely used throughout the world particularly inthe context of socio-economically disadvantaged populations. Incredible Years is basedupon the psychological principle that behaviour is learned through social interaction(Archways, 2007, cited by O’Connor and Mahony, 2010).
The Incredible Years Programmes were introduced into Limerick in 2006, following a pilotprogramme conducted by the Mary Immaculate College (MIC) Working Together2
project in conjunction with two schools in the city. In 2007, IY was implemented inthree locations in Limerick city. This evolved to ten locations by 2010 and twenty-twoby 2014. Teachers from eleven DEIS schools in Limerick have participated in the TeacherClassroom Management (TCM) Training since the commencement of the IY programme.Currently (2013-2014) over 500 children and 150 parents are participating in IncredibleYears programmes. One hundred and seventy-four participants have completed theIY Group Leader3 training. The profile of the Group Leaders is quite varied withrepresentation from parents, teachers, childcare staff, PHNs, psychologists, SNAs,community workers and other relevant personnel. In addition, 200 personnel frommultiple agencies across the city have received training and ongoing professionaldevelopment in the delivery of IY programmes.
Since the commencement of the IY programme 30 years ago, many studies attest to itseffectiveness both internationally, nationally and locally (Webster-Stratton et al, 2004;Baker-Hanningham et al, 2009; Bywater et al, 2011; O’Connor and Mahony, 2010;McGilloway et al, 2012). The purpose of this report is to look at the impact of IY in thecontext of regeneration Limerick. The report incorporates the research undertakensubsequent to the O’Connor and Mahony (2010) evaluation of IY Limerick.
1.2 Background and Context IY Limerick is set against a background of a city in theprocess of regeneration. Since 2002 Limerick has been ranked as the second mostdisadvantaged of the country’s 34 local authority areas in socio-economic terms(McCafferty, 2011). In 2006, the city contained the single most disadvantaged of over3400 Electoral Districts (ED) in the Irish state (ibid). The 2011 Census of Populationrevealed that this was still the case. The Limerick Regeneration Project has constitutedthe State’s most wide-ranging response to social exclusion in the city (Hourigan, 2011).While the IY programme was established in advance of the Regeneration Project, it canbe seen that it aligns with one of the three key strands of Regeneration Limerick, namely“developing co-ordinated responses to social and educational problems in order tobreak the cycle of disadvantage” (Fitzgerald, 2007).
It is within this context that the importance of retaining and extending the IY Limerickproject is rendered acute. In spite of significant socio-economic adversity, the projecthas demonstrated notable achievements which will be outlined and discussed in thisreport.
A brief summary of all IY programmes can be found in Appendix A.
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Figure 1 The Incredible Years Child, Parent and Teacher Programmes
(©www.incredibleyears.com)
“I felt safe…everyone felt safe”
Introduction toIncredible YearsLimerick11.3 Research Aims and Objectives This report endeavours to respond to two mainresearch objectives, namely:• To review and analyse all IY Limerick research and evaluation outputs to date
(in particular those which were undertaken post 2009)• To compile a comprehensive report which tells the story of IY Limerick to date.
The development of the research and evaluation framework for IY Limerick is identifiedas a key aim of the Strategic Plan 2011-2015 (PAUL, 2011a) and the extensive and varieddata collected since the inception of the project bears testimony to the realisation ofthis aim.
1.4 Report Outline This chapter has provided a brief outline to IY Limerick. Thefollowing chapters will provide details of Methodology; Key Successes in terms ofImplementation and Impact; Key Learning from IY Limerick; Conclusions andRecommendations.
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1 Child Programmes: Dina in the Classroom/Pre-School; Small Group DinaParent Programmes: Basic Parent Programme; Infant and Parent Programme; Toddler and ParentProgramme; School Readiness Programme; Basis Parent Programme (School Age)Teacher Programme: Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) Programme
2 The Working Together Project seeks to promote positive behaviour amongst primary school pupils indesignated disadvantaged schools in Ireland and grew out of a perceived need for innovativeapproaches to challenging behaviour in such schools, not only in Limerick City but also on the Westernseaboard. It is a research and intervention project developed and managed by the TransformingEducation through Dialogue Project (TED) (formerly Targeting Educational Disadvantage) at theCurriculum Development Unit (CDU), Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.
3 Actual delivery of IY programmes is undertaken by trained personnel referred to as ‘Group Leaders’.
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IY Limerick provides a concreteexample of shared responsibility andpartnership in action.
“The fact that we got to talk to colleagues about school policy was a majorcontribution...the group discussion was a great idea and very exciting”
Methodology
2
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Table 1: Outline of IY research data 2009-2013
Instrument Participant Profile Year N (Responses)
Focus Group Parents and Support Workers IPP* 2009-2010 9Focus Group Group Leaders combined parent programmes* 2009-2010 10Focus Group Group Leaders combined parent programmes* 2009-2010 3Focus Group Group Leaders combined parent programmes* 2009-2010 3Focus Group Group Leaders combined parent programmes* 2009-2010 5Focus Group Parents Post BPP, IPP, Toddlers Programme* 2010-2011 5
(4 female, 1 male)Focus Group Group Leaders combined parent programmes* 2010-2011 6Focus Group Group Leaders combined parent programmes* 2011-2012 7Focus Group Parents Post SRP 2012-2013 4
(3 female, 1 male)Focus Group Parents Post Parent and Toddler Programme (Various) 2012-2013 6 (all female)Focus group Teachers Post TCM 2012-2013 4 (all female)
SDQ Parents Pre and Post BPP 2010-2011 73SDQ Parents Pre and Post SGD 2010-2011 10SDQ Parents Post BPP, SGD and DIC 2010-2011 11
(child/parent completed all 3 programmes)SDQ Teachers Pre and Post DIC 2010-2011 140SDQ Teachers Pre and Post SGD 2010-2011 15SDQ Teachers Pre and Post DIC and SGD 2010-2011 14
(child completed both programmes)SDQ Parents Pre and Post BPP 2011-2012 60SDQ Teachers Pre and Post DIC 2011-2012 145SDQ Teachers Pre and Post SGD 2011-2012 27SDQ Parents Pre and Post BPP 2012-2013 44SDQ Parents Pre and Post IPP 2012-2013 11SDQ Teachers Pre and Post DIC 2012-2013 436
End of Programme Teachers Post TCM 2009-2012 41Satisfaction QuestionnaireEnd of Programme Parents Post BPP 2012-2013 35Satisfaction QuestionnaireEnd of Programme Parents Post SRP 2012-2013 15Satisfaction QuestionnaireEnd of Programme Parents Post TPP 2012-2013 9Satisfaction QuestionnaireEnd of Programme Parents Post BPP (School-Age) 2012-2013 6Satisfaction QuestionnaireEnd of Programme Teachers Post TCM 2012-2013 27Satisfaction Questionnaire
TCM Teachers’ Sense of Teachers Pre and Post TCM 2009-2012 63Efficacy QuestionnaireTeachers’ Sense of Teachers Pre and Post TCM 2012-2013 20Efficacy QuestionnaireTCM Teachers’ Stress Teachers Pre and Post TCM 2012-2013 34Inventory Results
Marschak Interaction Method Parents IPP 2009-2010 5
IPA Children post SGD 2012-2013 13
* Not transcribed
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Methodology22.1 Introduction This report is compiled following a review of existing IY Limerickevaluation studies, including both externally commissioned evaluation studies and in-house evaluations and reviews. The various studies reviewed incorporated a mixed-methods approach to provide breadth and depth to the research. Such an approachfacilitates the combination of field methods such as observations and interviews (i.e.qualitative data) with more traditional methods such as surveys (Creswell, 2003).
2.2 Research Methods The main research instrument employed in the researchcollection is the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Goodman and Scott,1999).4 This was employed with parents participating in IY parent programmes andwith teachers delivering IY Child Programmes. In addition, parents who participated inIY Parent Programmes completed the End of Programme Satisfaction survey5 and someparticipated in focus group interviews. Teachers participating in the Teacher ClassroomManagement (TCM) Programme responded to the Teacher Sense of Efficacy6 andTeacher End of Programme Satisfaction surveys7 and some participated in a focus groupinterview in 2013. Parent Programme and Small Group Dina Group Leaders alsoparticipated in focus groups.
The SDQs were analysed using paired samples t-tests.8 The Grounded Theory approach(Glaser and Strauss, 1967) was used to analyse the data emerging from the focusgroups.9 The absence of the voices of the participant children was seen as a significantlimitation to the research. This has been addressed through the inclusion of some datafrom the PhD research of Houlihan (2013), wherein Interpretative PhenomenologicalAnalysis (IPA)10 was used as the principal research instrument. The inclusion of thisresearch introduces an important added dimension to the research conducted to dateas it facilitates the contribution of the main protagonists and beneficiaries of IY.
Table 1 Below outlines the research data collected between 2009 and 2013
12
14 15
4 The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural screening questionnaire thatcan be completed in 5 minutes by the parents and teachers of children aged 4-16 (Goodman andScott, 1999).
5 Parent End of Programme Satisfaction Survey included evaluation of the overall programme, theteaching format, parenting techniques, the parent group leaders, and the group itself.
6 Teacher Sense of Efficacy Questionnaire is a 24-item questionnaire with three subscales; classroommanagement, student engagement and instructional strategies. Teacher efficacy refers to the judgmentof teachers they can achieve particular outcomes in their classes. It has been shown to be a significantpredictor of teacher effectiveness and children’s learning (Bandura, 1997).
7 Teacher End of Programme Satisfaction Survey included evaluation of the overall programme, itsusefulness, particularly in relation to specific techniques, and assessment of the group leader.
8 Related t-tests are used to compare the means of the same participants in two conditions or at twopoints in time (Bryman and Cramer, 2000).
9 The Grounded Theory approach, which originated with the work of Glaser and Strauss in 1967, isappropriate for social research that focuses on human interaction, particularly where the researcherwishes to investigate the subjective meanings that people use when interacting with others in specificsettings (Denscombe, 2004).
10 IPA is an interpretative phenomenological approach that aims to explore lived experiences andunderstand how people assign meaning to make sense of their experiences (Smith and Osborn, 2008,cited by Houlihan, 2013).
11 There are five different types of parent programmes and one specific teacher programme – cf note 1above.
12 It is acknowledged that a large number of teachers completed the SDQs in relation to the ChildProgrammes.
13 While the SDQ has gained international recognition in relation to measuring child behaviour, asignificant limitation lies in the fact that it relies heavily on teacher and parent self-reporting and thusis highly subjective in nature (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010).
The research can be divided into three main categories: research on the Parentprogrammes, research on the Teacher Classroom Management programme, andresearch on the Dina (children’s) programmes. It should be borne in mind, however,that to present the programmes as three discrete entities is to misrepresent IY. The keystrength of the overall programme is its holistic nature and the interrelatedness of theprogrammes.
Due to the fact that the amount of parent programmes outweighs teacher programmesquite significantly,11 there is a certain imbalance in the data obtained in the research,with considerably more data emerging from the parent programmes due to the varietyof programmes in this category.12 In addition, much of the data, particularly from theteachers (as it relates to the Child Programmes), tends to be quantitative (a lacunaacknowledged by PAUL, 2013). A third concern relates to the ongoing choice ofStrengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQs)13 as the main instrument ofmeasurement in relation to child behaviour. Another concern relates to the lownumbers of participants in some of the research data. This leads to non-generalisabledata. The absence of the voices of children prior to 2012 has been acknowledgedabove. Notwithstanding these concerns, the data collected to date provides richinsights into the progress and development of IY. “The praise,
the praise, thatalone, and it’ssomething sosimple that themore I do itlike they arejust so muchcalmer…”
“The various activities contributed not only to understandingour children but also to learning about our own lives”
3
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Key Successes:
Programme
Implementation
Figure 2: Programe Delivery Structure (PAUL, 2012a)
Significant benefits have developed and are continuing to develop as part of the IYLimerick programme, specifically in terms of information sharing and interagencyreferrals. A significant part of the success of the interagency approach was identified bythe Group Leaders, the Strategic Steering Group and the Programme Staff as resultingfrom PAUL Partnership’s role as the central co-ordinating body. In addition, the fact thatPAUL Partnership could act as an objective agency in the project was underlined in the2010 evaluation (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010). In the O’Connor and Mahony evaluation,respondents expressed a hope that this co-ordinating role could continue into the future(ibid). A feature of PAUL Partnership’s facilitative role that was singled out for particularmention was the central co-ordinating role both in distributing resources and inorganising meetings, training and peer support (ibid). Also mentioned was thedevelopment of policies and procedures and supporting documentation that wasinstrumental in establishing a structure for the IY Limerick programme (ibid).
This is one example of the partnership process engaged with by IY Limerick and theongoing commitment of PAUL Partnership to IY Limerick is evident in the subsequentresearch. However, the concept of partnership is an integral feature of the programmeitself.
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Key Successes:ProgrammeImplementation33.1 Introduction The successes of Incredible Years Limerick are many and varied butcan, essentially, be placed within two broad categories: 1) ProgrammeImplementation; 2) Programme Impact.
This chapter of the report will explore the programme implementation while the nextchapter will detail the programme impact upon the key stakeholders, namely thechildren, parents and teachers.
3.2 Programme Implementation | 3.2.1 Partnership in Action One of the significantfeatures of Incredible Years is the fact that it consists of multiple strands and is notconfined solely to the school context, thus demonstrating an ecological approach. Theecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) demonstrates that education cannot beconfined within the boundaries of the school and the classroom, and is, instead a sharedresponsibility among many different stakeholders. The National Children’s Strategy(2000) highlighted partnership among stakeholders as a key operational principle inthe delivery of services for children. Higgins (2009) observes that the principle ofworking in partnership has particular resonance within contexts where childrenexperience educational disadvantage. IY Limerick provides a concrete example ofshared responsibility and partnership in action. Co-ordinated by PAUL Partnership, IYLimerick is overseen, supported and facilitated by many and diverse groups andorganisations, both statutory and voluntary, all of whom are represented on the IYLimerick Steering Committee comprising:
• The Health Service Executive (HSE)• Department of Education and Skills (DES)• Mary Immaculate College (MIC)• Limerick City and County Council Office of Regeneration• National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS)• Barnardos• St. Vincent de Paul• Limerick Social Services Council (LSSC)• Local community groups and schools• Family Resource Centres• Tusla (Child and Family Agency)
Incredible Years Limerick focuses its work on supporting existing personnel withinschools, community organisations and statutory agencies to implement the IncredibleYears programmes. Delivery of individual Incredible Years programmes on the groundis done through a partnership structure, with some programmes being delivered bytrained personnel from two different partner organisations, for example – a parentprogramme in a community centre would be delivered by a trained staff member fromthe centre along with a trained staff member from another partner organisation suchas the HSE.
Figure 2 outlines the different partners involved in current programme delivery:
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The programme embraces the concept of sharedresponsibility as an active process rather than simply atheoretical or tokenistic principle.
StatutoryAgencies
- HSE- Dept. of Education- NEPS- TUSLA- Limerick City &- County Council
- HSCL- School Completion- Learning Support/Resource- Classroom Teachers- SNAs
- LSSC- Adapt- Barnardos- SVP
- Family Resource Centres- Community- Development Initiatives- Community Preschools
Schools
Community& VoluntarySector
LocallyBasedCommunityGroups
Table 2: Programme locations and programme type (to 2009)
Parish/Community Setting Incredible Years programme
St. Munchin’s St. Munchin’s Family Resource Centre Basic Parent Programme
Child Small Group Dina
Infant and Parent Programme
School Readiness Programme
Dina in the Classroom
St. Munchin’s GNS School Readiness Programme
Southill Southill Junior School Basic Parent Programme
Child Small Group Dina
Dina in the Classroom
Teacher Classroom
Management (TCM)
Gaelscoil Sheoirse Clancy Dina in the Classroom
St. Mary’s St. Mary’s BNS Child Small Group Dina
Dina in the Classroom
Barnardos Islandgate Basic Parent Programme
Moyross Corpus Christi NS Basic Parent Programme
Child Small Group Dina
Dina in the Classroom
Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes NS Basic Parent Programme
Dina in the Classroom
Our Lady Queen of Peace Our Lady Queen of Peace NS Basic Parent Programme
Dina in the Classroom
Limerick City Centre Limerick Social Services Centre Creche Infant and Parent Programme
Toddler and Parent Programme
(O’Connor andMahony, 2010)
21
The programme embraces the concept of shared responsibility as an active processrather than simply a theoretical or tokenistic principle. A number of Group Leadersindicated awareness that several of the stakeholder organisations were actively involvedin the roll-out and administration of the programme (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010).
In addition, the achievement of at least a dilution, if not a synthesis, of boundariesbetween home, school and community is evident in the objectives and practices of IYLimerick.
The fact that discrete and designated programmes were implemented with threedistinct groups, i.e. parents, teachers and children, in a variety of settings and locationsin Limerick city, attests to the investment in active partnership by IY Limerick. This factwas acknowledged by the Strategic Steering group who commented on the benefits ofa three-pronged approach (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010). The achievements of each ofthe three aspects of the overall programme is outlined in this report through the use ofa thematic approach. Particular attention is given to the period post 2009 as a numberof programmes were not included in the O’Connor and Mahony evaluation due to thefact that they were not all being implemented at that time (O’Connor and Mahony,2010).
3.2.2 Extension and Development of Programme While the extent of partnershipevident in IY Limerick is noteworthy, so too, is the fact that it extended from three totwenty-two settings over a period of seven years. In addition, the fact that the latter partof the project is taking place despite the impact on resources wrought by the economicrecession, further attests to the vision of the programme, and the tenacity of itsstakeholders. Table 2 provides details of the settings and programmes within LimerickCity to 2009. Table 3 demonstrates the development of the programme since 2009.
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The fact that discrete and designated programmes wereimplemented with three distinct groups, i.e. parents,teachers and children, in a variety of settings and locationsin Limerick city, attests to the investment in activepartnership by IY Limerick.
Parish / Community Programme Delivery Partners Incredible Years Programmes
MoyrossCorpus Christi NS Corpus Christi NS in conjunction with* Dina in the Classroom
• Barnardos Teacher Classroom ManagementBasic Parent Programme*
Moyross Integrated Childcare Moyross Integrated Childcare Dina in the Preschool
Our Lady of LourdesOur Lady of Lourdes NS Our Lady of Lourdes NS Dina in the Preschool
in conjunction with* Dina in the Classroom• Limerick City CDP Teacher Classroom Management
Basic Parent Programme*School Readiness*
Childworld Crèche Childworld Crèche Our Lady of Lourdes Dina in the PreschoolOur Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady Queen of PeaceOur Lady Queen of Peace NS Our Lady Queen of Peace NS Dina in the Preschool
in conjunction with* Dina in the Classroom• Limerick City CDP Basic Parent Programme*
School Readiness*
City CentreSt. John’s NS St. John’s NS Teacher Classroom Management
• delivered by *Barnardos Basic Parent Programme*School Readiness
St John’s BNS St John’s BNS Teacher Classroom Management
Limerick Social Services Limerick Social Services Council Toddler and Parent Programme InfantCouncil Crèche (LSSC) Crèche (LSSC) and Parent Programme
Basic Parent Programme
Doras Luimni Doras Luimni in conjunction with* Basic Parent Programme*• LSSC
Presentation Primary/ Presentation Primary/ St. Michael’s Teacher Classroom ManagementSt. Michael’s Infant School Infant School in conjunction with* Basic Parent Programme*
• HSE Parent Support School Readiness*
(PAUL, 2013a)
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Table 3: Programme locations and programme type to 2014
* = indicates named partners co-delivered programmes marked with *
Parish / Community Programme Delivery Partners Incredible Years Programmes
SouthillSouthill Junior School Southill Junior School in conjunction with* Small Group Dina*
• HSE Child and Family Services Dina in the Classroom• Southill FRC Basic Parent Programme*
School Readiness*Teacher Classroom Management
Gaelscoil Sheoirse Clancy Gaelscoil Sheoirse Clancy Teacher Classroom Management
Galvone NS Galvone NS Teacher Classroom Management
Startright Startright Project involving Infant and Parent Programme• HSE PHNs Toddler and Parent Programme• Barnardos• HSE Community Development
Adapt House Adapt Services in conjunction with* Basic Parent Programme*• HSE Community Development
Tait House Crèche Tait House Crèche Dina in the Preschool
LEDP Sunshine Crèche LEDP Sunshine Crèche Dina in the Preschool
St. Munchin’sNorthside FRC Northside FRC in conjunction with* Infant and Parent Programme*
• LSSC Toddler and Parent Programme*• HSE Basic Parent Programme*• School Completion Project Dina in the Preschool• Limerick City CDP Small Group Dina Programme*
St Munchin’s GNS St Munchin’s GNS in conjunction with* Dina in the Classroom School Readiness*• Northside FRC Teacher Classroom Management
St. Lelia’s Junior School St. Lelia’s Junior School Dina in the Preschool
Distillery View Preschool Distillery View Preschool and Respond Dina in the Preschool
St Mary’sSt Mary’s National School St Mary’s National School Dina in the Preschool
Dina in the ClassroomTeacher Classroom Management
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There seemed to be general consensus among the parents in the focus group sessions(School Readiness Programme) that the opportunities to meet, to share ideas, to explorepositive approaches to discipline were very beneficial. In addition parents spoke highlyof the role play, the reading programme and the library visits:
“…You shared experiences. So it was helpful…very helpful, very interesting.And real”
“I enjoyed the rewards scheme, the charts… And I enjoyed thediscipline…the bold step…you know the right way to do it”
“I enjoyed the role plays and stuff. You know the ways you have to do therole plays and stuff”
“It was the reading that I found the best. Because I wouldn’t be the best withreading with the kids like because you know, trying to get them to sit down
for ten minutes, or whatever…”
(PAUL, 2013b)
Teachers participating in the TCM programme commented on the benefits of thewhole-school approach, the importance of praise and the structured approach whereinthe targeting of specific behaviours was facilitated:
“…We wanted a whole school approach to how we do things you know”
“…I really realise how important praise is…”“…the praise, the praise, that alone, and it’s something so simple that the
more I do it like they are just so much calmer”
“I like…just you know target on one little thing and work on that and goback to the classroom and work on that…”
(PAUL, 2013c)
It should be noted that while these examples are included here to demonstrate thesuccess of the programme implementation, they are also relevant to ProgrammeImpact, and some are referenced again in the next chapter.
3.2.5 Potential for Embeddedness within Mainstream Services A key issue in relation tothe sustainability of any programme is the degree to which it becomes part of thesystem rather than an‘add-on’to an already overloaded programme. The Strategic Planfor IY Limerick (2011-2015) identifies the integration of IY programmes into mainstreameducational delivery as a key theme for the future. Efforts are already underway inrelation to achieving embeddedness of IY in all DEIS Band 1 schools in Limerick city. Acomprehensive proposal has been drafted by IY Limerick in partnership with Limerick 25
These tables demonstrate the breadth and diversity of the IY programme.Not all programmes were being administered at the time of the 2009 evaluation of IYLimerick. It is noteworthy that the Teacher Classroom Management programme hasbecome far more evident in terms of implementation since 2009. The ongoingchallenge for IY Limerick is the achievement of sustainability. In order to be sustainable,IY needs to be seen as an integral part of early years’ provision and mainstreamschooling rather than an ‘add-on’ to an already overloaded programme.
3.2.3 Communication There was consensus among the Strategic Steering Groupmembers that communication with Paul Partnership was working well and that thecommunication process improved as the project progressed. Meetings were consideredto be very productive with participants arriving well-prepared with all the necessarydocuments received in advance. The high quality of the documentation was alsodeemed noteworthy. It was observed that meetings resulted in decisions rather thanbeing limited to discussion (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010). The IY Limerick project staffcommented on the positive relationships with the Programme Operational Group(Group Leaders) which developed out of the communication process. One challengeidentified by the IY Limerick project staff in 2009 was the difficulty in communicatingwith class-based teachers. There was an endeavour to resolve this using a textmessaging service and the later data demonstrates success with this approach. The2010 report demonstrated that the Group Leaders were satisfied with the levels ofcommunication as well as with the role of Paul Partnership as facilitator of IY Limerickand later data identified that Group Leaders commented on the ongoing improvementsin communication and support from PAUL Partnership. Although they did not makedirect contact with Paul Partnership regularly, they commented on the efficiency ofPaul Partnership in responding to queries, particularly in the later part of theprogramme (2009/2010) (ibid).
3.2.4 Resources/Content/Teaching Approaches15 A significant feature of IY relates to theextent and provision of resources and the content therein. Group Leadersacknowledged the effort made to accommodate requests for resources despite somedelays in delivery due to the fact that materials were sourced from the USA. In generalGroup Leaders were satisfied with the resources and acknowledged its user friendliness.This was borne out by comments from parents who participated in the Basic ParentProgramme, Infant and Parent Programme and Toddler and Parent Programme. Thefridge notes and diaries were highlighted as being very helpful in terms of providingparents with very practical information and knowledge, and enabling the parents tokeep track of expected and actual developments (PAUL, 2011b).
24
The communication process within and across agencieswas considered positive and constructive.
There seemed to be general consensus among theparents in the focus group sessions (SchoolReadiness Programme) that the opportunities tomeet, to share ideas, to explore positive approachesto discipline were very beneficial.
Education Centre with a view to including the IY Teacher Classroom ManagementProgramme as part of Continuing Professional Development for teachers in LimerickCity. This proposal consists of four phases and reflects the principles of the continuumof teacher education wherein emphasis is placed upon the teacher as a lifelong learnerwho actively participates“in professional learning communities which engage in groupreflection, learning and practice” and who “reviews the effectiveness of his/her ownpractice through continuous reflection on that practice” (Teaching Council, 2011).
It should be acknowledged that there is already significant potential for IY to gainincreased recognition in schools due to the processes which it employs. These processesalign with the key characteristics of the Primary School Social, Personal and HealthEducation (SPHE) Curriculum (NCCA, 1999). Similarly, IY can be highlighted as a resourcefor the AISTEAR Early Childhood Curriculum. It should be noted that IY features in anumber of Curriculum Electives in the B.Ed programme in Mary Immaculate College.
In addition, the programme delivery structure of IY (cf. Figure 3) demonstrates therelevance of the programme to the wider community including Family ResourceCentres, community development, early years initiatives and to Limerick Regeneration.
3.3 Conclusion This section of the review has examined the process of IY Limerick interms of Strategic Management and Implementation. Overall, the conclusions emergeas being very positive. The holistic approach to the programme is a consistent themeand presents itself in a number of different contexts. The ongoing commitment of PAULPartnership emerges as a key element to the current and future success of theprogramme. It would seem that that structure, content, methodology andcommunication processes of the programme facilitate effective implementation. Thecontinued expansion of the programme is also testament to its success. The nextchapter will look at Programme Impact.
26
4
Impact of Programme:
Themes Relating to
Children, Parents
and Teachers
27
14 PAUL Partnership staff with responsibility for the overall co-ordination and administration of IY Limerick.15 While the comments on the resources were generally positive, a recurring theme to emerge was
dissatisfaction with the vignettes. This is addressed in a later section in this document.
“It was the reading that I found the best. Because I wouldn’t be thebest with reading with the kids like because you know, trying to getthem to sit down for ten minutes, or whatever…”
Increased positive engagement from the childrenSome of the reasons for the improvement in children’s behaviour can be found inparents’comments in the focus groups (see section 4.3 below). Particular mention wasmade of the various ways that they were now able to help children to express emotions.The parents were quite sure that the children’s behaviour had changed significantly asa result of the programme. Children could now understand rules, do homework, helpwith household chores and were less likely to throw tantrums.
Dina in the Classroom trains children in skills like emotional literacy, anger managementand problem solving and is designed for use as a full classroom programme. SmallGroup Dina focuses on the same areas but is intended for small groups of childrenexhibiting conduct problems. As in many studies of the Dina programmes, theireffectiveness was assessed through the SDQ completed by Teachers and Group Leaders(pre- and post- tests). The results for 436 children involved in the programme in 2012-2013 are shown in Table A.3 (Appendix B). It is evident that there was an improvementin all six of the measures in the SDQ. Of these, five are statistically significant (conductproblems, hyperactivity, peer problems, total difficulties and pro-social scale), and all areof central relevance to children’s behaviour and classroom management. As well asbeing statistically significant, there are substantial improvements for most of themeasures. For example, conduct problems dropped from 17.7% in the abnormalcategory to 12.2%. In 2011-12, SDQ scores were obtained for 172 children involved inthe Dina and/or Small Group Dina programmes (Table A.4 Appendix B). The analysiscomparing the before and after scores indicated a statistically significant improvementfor hyperactivity, peer relationships, total difficulties and pro-social behaviour. While theimprovement shown in the conduct scale was not a statistically significant one, it canstill be concluded with confidence, from the overall trends, that the DINA programmeresulted in a significant improvement in children’s behaviour.
4.2.2 Theme 2: Enhancement of Learning Evidence of enhancement in children’slearning emerged in various features of the data in the Parents’ programme as well asthe TCM and Dina programmes. It should also be mentioned that improvements inbehaviour, discussed above, are of immediate relevance to learning since behaviourproblems are major obstacles to learning. Therefore all of the findings related toimprovement in conduct disorders and hyperactivity directly impinge on children’scapacity to learn.
It is noteworthy that in the evaluation by parents who participated in the SchoolReadiness component of IY in 2012-2013, features of children’s learning wereprominent. As can be seen in Appendix B (Table A.5) 93% of parents expressedconfidence in their ability to assist in school readiness and said that they had the skillsto do so. A similar percentage had high expectations regarding the starting of school.Given the importance of parental expectations and efficacy, these are very importantoutcomes and very likely to contribute to the success of children’s learning. It is also ofnote that in the Toddler programme, all of the parents involved endorsed the approachused in the programme to enhance their child’s development.
In the parent focus groups of 2012-13, when parents were asked what aspect of theprogramme was most valuable, special mention was made of the reading area, partlybecause of its inherent importance and also because some took the view that theythemselves had problems in this area. This general point emerged in other focusgroups: parents could assist their children’s learning if they themselves had thenecessary skills. 29
Impact of Programme:Themes Relating to Children,Parents and Teachers44.1 Introduction As noted in the earlier chapter on methodology, the informationcollected on the outcomes of the IY programme drew on quantitative and qualitativemethodologies and focused on all the relevant participants including parents, childrenand teachers. Furthermore, the data with which the present report is concerned wascollected over a three year period. As described earlier, the approach taken involvedmixed methods (combining quantitative and qualitative approaches) and in line withthat approach the main themes emerging from the data are presented in this chapter.In other words, rather than presenting findings in the order in which they were collectedor differentiating between different methodologies, the themes presented reflect thefrequency and emphasis of their occurrence in the data and their importance in judgingthe impact of the programme. Thus, the themes emerging reflect a holistic examinationof the data and the main outcomes emerging.
While we have divided the themes into broad categories using the three main targetgroups (parents, children and teachers) the results presented do not correspond strictlyto the different programmes. For example the section on children (see below) draws onresults from the parent programme, the Teacher programme (TCM) as well as the Dinaprogramme. In line with the objectives of the IY programme, we first present themesconcerning children followed by themes concerning parents and teachers.
4.2 Children | 4.2.1 Theme 1: Improvement in Behaviour An important consistentfinding was that as a result of the involvement in IY, there were significantimprovements in children’s behaviour. This was evident for the parent programme, forthe Teacher Classroom Management programme (TCM) as well as for the Dinaprogramme.
Increased parental confidenceIn 2012-13, 35 parents involved in the programme for younger children gave their viewson their satisfaction with the programme and more than three quarters (77%) expressedthe view that there were improvements in their children’s behaviour as a result of theprogramme. One reason for the improvement (discussed below) may be the increasein confidence that parents felt in managing their children’s behaviour: 94% took theview they were more confident following the programme.
Reduction in conduct problems and hyperactivityAs in several other studies involving IY, changes in children’s behaviour were measuredthrough the SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). The procedure followedwas that parents rated children before and after their involvement in the programme.Table A.1 in Appendix B shows parental ratings of children for 2012-13 (before andafter); it can be seen that there were improvements in all of the six scales of the SDQ. Ofthese, the difference from pre- to post- programme was statistically significant for twoof the scales, viz., hyperactivity and total difficulties (i.e. the likelihood that they aroseby chance is very remote).
The same pattern emerged in other years. For example in 2010-11, parents who hadbeen involved in the basic parenting programme rated their children on the SDQ, beforeand after completion of the programme. The results (shown in Appendix B Table A.2)show that there was a significant improvement in children’s behaviour on five of thesix scales. Furthermore these improvements were substantial. For example, 36% ofchildren were in the abnormal category (for Total Difficulties) in the pre-programmerating but this had fallen to 16% post-programme.
28
An important consistent finding was that as a
result of the involvement in IY, there were
significant improvements in children’s behaviour.
The research by Houlihan (2013) showed that children achieved a greater sense ofsecurity following their participation in the IY Small Group Dina project. Thirteenchildren aged from six to eight years took part in the study, which involved semi-structured interviews with the participants. All participants presented with varioussocial-emotional-behavioural (SEB) difficulties at the time of recruitment. The childrenspoke with warmth and positivity regarding their experience of the IY Small Group Dinaprogramme. Warmth was conveyed from a sense of comfort experienced around theleaders; children also related experiences during which they appeared to feel valuedand secure. The transcripts revealed children's experiences of feeling understood andcared for and this was comforting for them. There seemed to be a shared feeling amongthe children interviewed that their emotional experiences were understood. Six mainthemes emerged in Houlihan’s research. These were as follows:
• Nurturing relationships• Sense of security• Secure environment• Opportunity for calmness and self-reflection• Play as a therapeutic medium• Empowered to self-regulate (Houlihan, 2013).
It is worth reproducing some of the comments of the children which emerged inHoulihan’s research.
Nurturing relationshipsThe comments of the children related mainly to being happy in the group, being caredfor, and to their positive relationships with the leaders. Some of the comments of thechildren, as recorded by Houlihan are, as follows;
“Everyone was happy in Dinosaur School”
“It was like we were leaving and we didn’t wanna leave, we got extra time”
Houlihan attributes these positive reactions to the leaders’ attunement andresponsiveness to participants’ emotional experiences and basic needs.
Sense of securityHoulihan observed a strong sense of security among the children in the group. Sheattributes this sense of security to relationships with peers and the support shown inrelation to emotional experiences among other factors. Collectively these experiencesseemed to provide a sense of safety for the children. Some of the children’s commentsare, as follows:
“They were like if we were all one big gether, as friends”
“I felt safe…everyone felt safe”
31
With regard to the TCM component, it is striking that the major benefits that derivedfrom the programme concerned children’s learning. Thus, there were significant andsubstantial improvements in teachers’sense of efficacy with regard to‘getting throughto students’. A similar improvement was found in relation to ‘understanding studentswho are failing’. Also there was an improvement in relation to ‘student engagement’.The combination of increased teachers’ understanding of children’s learning and theimprovement in their skills of engaging them is a major contribution to theenhancement of children’s learning.
As noted above the child (Dina) programme was evaluated largely through the SDQ.This showed significant improvements in behaviour which is central to the conditionsof effective teaching and learning.
4.2.3 Theme 3: Children’s Sense of Being Cared For While improvements in behaviourare important for school learning, there is also evidence that children’s sense of beingcared for is important not only in its own right but also for classroom learning and forachieving improvements to behaviour. Here we consider evidence from the threecomponents regarding the contribution of IY to such feelings.
As regards the parenting programme, it is noteworthy that in the two basic parentingprogrammes, completed in 2012 and 2013, the social, emotional and academiccoaching was regarded as useful/extremely useful by over 80% across the two groups.Furthermore with regard to the use of ‘praise and encouragement’ all (100%) of therespondents thought this was useful/extremely useful. Also relevant is the finding ofimprovement in the emotional symptoms measure of the SDQ following theprogramme.
The sense of children being cared for also emerged in the TCM particularly by theindications that the programme facilitated caring. The suggested activity assignmentswere viewed as positive/very positive by 89% of the participating teachers. Similarly,the substantial increase in efficacy of ‘getting through to students’ as a result of theprogramme bears out teachers’ increased capacity to understand and care for thechildren. Several mentions were made in the teachers’ focus group meeting regardingthe positive atmosphere that permeated the classroom as a result of the application ofIY principles. The reward charts and other strategies led to an improvement in self-regulation which in turn resulted in a more positive atmosphere. Teachers alsomentioned two other important aspects of this change of atmosphere. One was themore frequent use of praise by the teachers themselves, especially of very ‘ordinary’behaviours like sitting down properly. Another was that children complemented eachother (an inherent part of the programme).
With regard to the child (Dina) programme, the fact that there was a statisticallysignificant improvement in pro-social behaviour following the programme (as judgedby teachers) indicates strongly that children’s sense of caring for others was enhancedand by implication the feeling in the various classrooms that they were being cared for.It is noteworthy that children involved in Small Group Dina in 2011-2012 (27 in all)showed an improvement in pro-social behaviour. This is extremely important, since asnoted above, the children targeted for this programme were likely to have behaviourproblems including relationships with other children.
30
Childrencould now
understand rules,do homework,
help withhousehold chores
and were lesslikely to
throw tantrums.
4.3 Parents | 4.3.1 Theme 1: Confidence in Parenting
ConfidenceA major theme in IY is that parents should be more confident and effective in theirparenting skills as a result of the programme. The evidence for this is substantial andemerges in the various evaluations of the different parent programmes.
In the basic parenting programme for younger children in 2013, when the 35participating parents were asked about their confidence in managing their child’sbehaviour, 94% said they were confident/very confident in this regard. As one said:
“The programme helped greatly in knowing that I could deal with tantrumsand be able to ignore inappropriate behaviour”
The reason for this confidence is evident in later parts of the 2013 evaluation data; thevarious aspects of the teaching format in the parenting course were also rated verypositively (over 90% for most aspects) including the content of information presented,group discussion of parenting skills and practice of reading skills at home. Therespondents in the evaluation of the Toddler and Parent Programme (2012-13) alsowere very positive about the programme. They specifically mentioned the approachused in the programme to enhance the toddler’s development and the confidence theyfelt in parenting.
Behaviour improvementsIt is also an indication of the greater confidence of parents that they correctly identifiedthe behaviour improvement, especially in relation to decreased hyperactivity andconduct disorders. The fact that these improvements were consistently noted byparents indicates not only improvement in behaviour but also a confidence andreadiness to notice these changes for the better.
Frequent mention was made of skills in dealing with various situations including use ofpraise and understanding aggression:
“I was better able to praise my child at the right time and able to talk to otherparents about their experiences and the outbursts of their children”
It is especially noteworthy that particular mention was made of ways in which they nowcould assist children to express feelings:
“… to express their feelings…how we as parents can help them to…because I would love to be able to help my daughter.
She’s 7, she is going to be 8, so just how to be able to help her to expressherself”
There was a general consensus that the programme helped in preparing children forschool. Children could now understand rules, do homework, help with householdchores:
“I have a better understanding of what school involves…sharing ideas with other parents
led me see how children could be involved around the house”33
Secure environmentHoulihan observes that the children seemed to respond well to the environment ofSmall Group Dina, in particular to the structured routine and predictability of the dayand the ordered environment. They were also aware of what was expected of themand responded positively in the main. Behavioural responses seem to have beenmotivated internally rather than externally with acknowledgement and endorsementof the need for rules:
“…because if you follow them you won’t end up being bold”
“…’cause otherwise we would always be fighting. I think they were helpful”
Opportunities for calmness and self-reflectionThis was a recurrent theme across interview transcripts according to Houlihan.Participants described the benefits of physical relaxation and the use of deep breathingand guided imagery strategies:
“You jump on the cloud and then we float around and we could feel thepeace”
“It calms you down…{}…you breathe and you let it all out”.
Play as a therapeutic mediumHoulihan highlights the engaging and therapeutic effects of play on the participants.References to puppets and to stories appeared in many of the children’s narratives andseemed to resonate with them:
“Tiny Turtle was a turtle and when you see him you’ve to be really quietor else he’ll go back in his shell”
“They’re my friends! Wally, Molly, Dina!”
Empowered to self-regulateThe ability to generalise learning outside of Dinosaur School was identified as a keybenefit by Houlihan. Most of the accounts from the children described the use ofstrategies to regulate emotions and assert control of themselves in situations. Examplesincluded the use of skills to address interpersonal conflict:
“…like when people are ignoring me and they’re still talking, like meanthings to me, I just put up my ignore muscle…{}…he just started saying
names to me and I put up my ignore muscle”
These are just some examples of the data which emerged in Houlihan’s research. Thevoices of the child participants could be deemed to provide the strongest endorsementof the IY project.
32
Evidence of enhancement in children’s learningemerged in various features of the data in the Parents’programme as well as the TCM and Dina programmes.
“I was better able to praise my child at the right time and ableto talk to other parents about their experiences and the
outbursts of their children”
important questions as well as those concerning their children. Indeed some weretalking about arranging a meeting with each other on an informal basis, once theprogramme was completed:
“I will really miss having other people to talk to and the opportunity to talkabout things that really mattered in my life”
Related to this, they said they would miss having someone to turn to, if an issue arosewith their child. The participants were also quite sure that they would like to continuewith another programme in the autumn if one similar to IY was available:
“I would love to have another programme along the same lines….I would look forward so much to that”
It is also worth noting that in the meeting of parent programme Group Leaders, therewas also a recommendation that a personal development programme focusing onmental health should be developed. The Leaders took the view that this would greatlystrengthen the parent programme and enhance its contribution.
4.4 Teachers | 4.4.1 Theme 1: Enhancement of Management Skills in Whole SchoolContext Of the teachers participating in the TCM workshop in 2013, 85% thought thatthe approach used to change teachers’behaviour in the workshop was appropriate/veryappropriate. Significantly all of the teachers said that they would recommend theworkshop to another teacher and 93% were confident that they would be able tomanage current behaviour problems in their classrooms, following the workshop.
When the participants were asked about the perceived usefulness of the teachingstrategies of the TCM workshop, the overall results are very positive; it is striking thatsome aspects were regarded by all or almost all as very useful. For example all of theteachers took the view that support of colleagues was useful/extremely useful. As onesaid:
“One of the major challenges in teaching is isolation from colleagues…thisexperience helped to overcome this feeling of being on my own when
important matters have to be decided”
Virtually all took the view that the group discussion and the ideas emerging were inthe same positive category. This is especially interesting since it suggests thatapproaches that involve collegial aspects are greatly valued:
“The fact that we got to talk to colleagues about school policy was a majorcontribution...the group discussion was a great idea and very exciting”
This is an important consideration in efforts to promote whole school implementationof practices and programmes.
The fact that the teachers felt an increased of sense of efficacy following the TCMworkshop including the ability to ‘get through to difficult students’ as well as greater‘understanding students who are failing’ is likely to have contributed greatly to their
35
Other comments mentioned sharing, better social skills and helping other children. Inturn the parents reported that their lives were now much freer from stress and theycould manage household activities including going shopping with much less concerns:
“I now know what I want to happen and can planshopping without a worry”
While direct evidence of increases in parental confidence is harder to come by from theTCM and DINA components, the fact that the evidence from these supports the viewsof parents regarding improvements in behaviour and attention, corroborates thecomments of parents regarding the various way in which IY enhanced their confidencein parenting.
4.3.2 Theme 2: Parental Self-Development
Achieving parents’ own goalsIn various aspects of the evaluation of IY, it is evident that parents were convinced thatthe programme contributed to their development not only as parents but also in thebroadest sense. Sometimes this can be inferred from broad questions as in theevaluation of aspects of the parenting programmes. For example, in 2013, 88% ofparticipants who took the programme relating to younger children, said that theprogramme helped them achieve ‘their own goals’ and a high percentage ofparticipants for the programme for older children expressed the same opinion. Indeedin the School Readiness Parent Programme, 100% of the respondents took the viewthat programme helped them achieve their goals.
Development of self and improvements in children’s behaviourIt is worth mentioning that the behaviour improvements that were captured in the SDQquestionnaire and which showed statistically significant improvements in hyperactivityand conduct disorder is entirely consistent with an enhanced view of parents regardingtheir own contribution. The strong consistency of these improvements is especiallyconvincing.
In the parent focus groups, when the participants were asked about the aspects of theprogramme that they thought were most valuable, many parents mentioned the focuson their own learning. As regard the process, the area of ‘learning from each other’wasidentified as especially valuable as was role playing. One comment was:
“The various activities contributed not only to understanding our childrenbut also to learning about our own lives”
While the parents identified these as contributing to their understanding of theirchildren as well as facilitating playful interaction, it easy to see how these experienceswould enhance their own development.
In the focus groups the parents were asked about the IY programme in general andwhat they might miss on its completion. The response to this issue is especially relevantfor the present theme of self-development. The participants felt that the closeness ofthe group and the conversations they had contributed to their thinking about other
34
The combination of inc
reased teachers’ underst
anding of children’s
learning and the impro
vement in their skills o
f engaging them is a
major contribution to th
e enhancement of child
ren’s learning.
Several mentions were made in the teachers’ focus group meetingregarding the positive atmosphere that permeated the classroomas a result of the application of IY principles.
4.4.2 Theme 2: Increased Sense of EfficacyAn important area of development in recent years has been to identify the aspects ofa teacher’s personality and make-up that contribute most to their effectiveness. Thefinding that teacher self-efficacy predicts how a teacher will perform is a major advancesince the research has shown that teachers self-efficacy is associated not only withresilience and persistence but also with student gains (Bandura, 1997). For this reason,the findings regarding teacher efficacy are of great significance in the present study(Table A.6 Appendix B). Teacher efficacy refers to the judgment of teachers that they canachieve particular outcomes in their classes and one of its great contributions was todemonstrate that ‘general efficacy’ is unrealistic; in other words teachers can makespecific judgements as to what successes they can expect and what challenges willoccur.
Based on 63 teachers who participated in the TCM programmes (2009-2012), the extentto which teachers’ self-efficacy increased or decreased was examined. What wasespecially significant was the scope of the improvements in the participating teachers’sense of efficacy. There was also evidence of improvements in children’s behaviourarising from the TCM programme. In particular, teachers felt a higher sense of efficacyon three items relating to behaviour viz, ability to get through to difficult students,understanding students who were failing and responding to defiant students. Whenteachers were asked in an open-ended format about the aspects of the programmethat were most satisfactory, there was a high level of satisfaction with management ofbehaviour and in particular the approach suggested to changing students’ behaviour.Furthermore the teachers showed a high level of confidence in managing behaviourproblems in their classroom.
4.5 Conclusion The picture emerging from the data presented here gives a consistentlypositive picture. For the evaluation of the improvements in behaviour, the numberinvolved is substantial and while there are some differences between the various phasesof the data collection, there is evidence of strong improvement in behaviour based onthe SDQ. It is especially striking that the ‘Total Difficulties’measure shows a substantialand statistically significant improvement in all phases of data collection. The focusgroups of parents showed a consensus that the programme helped in preparingchildren for school. They expressed the view that the children’s behaviour had changedsignificantly and beneficially as a result of the programme.
37
management skills. Collectively such an enhancement of teacher efficacy is potentiallya great contribution to school ethos. It is especially worth noting that open-endedcomments regarding the aspects of the programme with which they were mostsatisfied included management of behaviour and the approaches suggested tochanging students’ behaviour. These included the ‘Time Out’ chair, the capacity toignore inappropriate behaviour as well as the sending of ‘Happygrams’ to parents toinform them of positive behaviour:
“The Time Out Chair, we used time out. Time out is used in school, that waswhat was used. But when we look at it now, we weren’t doing it correctly…”
“There was a lesson we got on ignoring. That was just so simple again, butsomething you wouldn’t really think of doing…”
“I’m using like the strategy behind the happygrams…I’m doing it now,I’m making a conscious effort to put that in and it makes the parents feel
great…”
The teachers also commented on the positive atmosphere that resulted from theapplication of IY principles. They took the view that this in turn enhanced the capacityof children to control their own behaviour – a view that is entirely borne out by researchon effective social and emotional programmes. One important aspect of the change ofatmosphere was the more frequent use of praise by teachers themselves:
“The praise, the praise, that alone, and it’s something so simple thatthe more I do it like they are just so much calmer…”
This is especially relevant in the whole school context.
Another valuable outcome was that children had the language to express feelings;when they were worried they had the language to tell you!
“Even the language of how to express themselves, if they are angsty, or if theyare sad, or if they are worried at least, giving them the language that they
can tell you”
As noted above, when children were rated following their participation and theteachers’participation in the Dina programme, there were significant improvements inbehaviour. Obviously this has great significance from children’s and parents’viewpointsbut is also important from the viewpoint of teachers’ motivation and morale. There issubstantial evidence in recent research that teachers can overcome setbacks and showresilience provided that positive outcomes are experienced. As shown in a recent study(Morgan et al., 2010), a particularly important source of this motivation is that childrenrespond to their skills of classroom management. That study showed that indeedteachers can work with negative events provided that positive experiences are part oftheir professional encounters in the classroom.
36
4
In relation to the TCM, the views of the participating teachers were also consistentlypositive. Many aspects were thought by all or almost all to be very useful including thesupport of colleagues, the group discussion and the ideas emerging in interaction withcolleagues. With regard to teachers’sense of efficacy there were increases in perceivedability to get through to difficult students and ability to understand students who arefailing and also the sense that they could encourage students to value learning(although the scores on the latter scale did not reach statistical significance). On theclassroom management subscale there was a significant difference from pre- to post-on the efficacy of responding to defiant students. Overall, the results of the quantitativeevaluation indicate that in every measure there was an increase in teachers’ sense ofefficacy with regard to the domain in question. Furthermore, this increase wasstatistically significant in almost half of the measures. This is a very promising outcomeand indicates that the programme worked very successfully. The opportunity forteacher to interact and discuss issues was an important bonus.
The qualitative results are supportive of the quantitative findings. One important pointthat emerged was the positive atmosphere that resulted from the application of IYprinciples. The strategies advocated led to an improvement in children’s self-regulationwhich in turn brought about a positive classroom climate. The participants alsomentioned the more frequent use of praise by the teachers and that children oftencomplimented their peers.
The inclusion of the children’s voices brings a significant added dimension to this reviewand provides insights into the benefits accruing from the programme from a child’sperspective. Core elements of Social and Emotional Learning emerged as key themesfrom the data. The children’s sense of empowerment and self-worth along with theirendorsement of boundaries, self-regulation and the benefits of play demonstrates therole and importance of IY in promoting the wellbeing, and in particular, the mentalwellbeing of the child. This indicates that more focus should be accorded to expandingthe overall programme and in particular the children’s DINA programmes to a greatercatchment area. It also indicates that children should feature more strongly asparticipants in future research.
38
Teachers felt a higher sense of efficacy on three itemsrelating to behaviour viz, ability to get through todifficult students, understanding students who werefailing and responding to defiant students.
39
5
41
Key Learning
These were, as follows:• Improvements in programme structure, content, ease of use and impact• Continuation of funding• Commitment of staff to the participants, the community, the children and the IY
programmes• The observed benefits that made participants and Group Leaders advocates of the
progammes• Interagency collaboration• A continuing need for such programmes
The achievements outlined in previous sections and chapters demonstrate evidenceof these key elements, particularly attention to improving the programme, commitmentof staff, observed benefits, interagency collaboration and demonstration of acontinuing need for IY. Continuation of funding remains a more uncertain element interms of sustainability, lack of which has been identified by O’Connor and Mahony(2010) as a barrier to sustainability along with reductions in availability of staff:
Funding Continuation of funding was a significant concern for both theStrategic Steering Group representatives as well as for the GroupLeaders and the Programme Staff. The Strategic Steering Grouprepresentatives stressed their agencies’ commitment to continuation offunding and to the provision of other means of support. However, it isnot clear as to whether this continuation of support is limited to existingparticipant groups or whether it will extend to new communities.
Support is being provided through matched funding. PAUL Partnershipcompleted an extensive analysis of the time contribution made by thoseinvolved in the programmes (Table A.7 in Appendix B). The cost of eachindividual’s contribution was then calculated on the basis of anaverage/midpoint salary for that position. Table A.8 (Appendix B) outlinesthe contribution to each individual Incredible Years Programme in 2011in monetary terms. If this contribution could be matched by potentialfunders/donors, the sustainability of the project would be strengthenedconsiderably.
Availability This emerged as a barrier to continuation in many participant schools.of staff Emerging possibilities of staff reductions were seen to seriously affect
availability of co-facilitators for the Dina in the Classroom programmes.Substitution for staff attending training also emerged as an area ofconcern. Some agency staff highlighted consequences of non-replacement of retiring staff (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010).
Time needed Another potential barrier to sustainability relates to the time needed forfor the the programme. This was highlighted by O’Connor and Mahony in theprogramme context of delivery but can also be linked with sustainability. Time was
the most frequently mentioned challenge in interviews and focus groupsin schools and in other settings. Concerns included: time for preparation,training, delivery of programme and follow-up; also attendance atmeetings (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010). It should be acknowledgedthat this issue did not emerge as a significant concern in the subsequentdata. 43
Key Learning55.1 Introduction There are many learnings and possibilities for IY Limerick as itcontinues into the future. Some of these have already been referred to in the 2010evaluation. This chapter outlines the key learnings accruing from the programme,particularly post 2010. These are presented under three main headings: Social Capital,Sustainability and Organisational Issues.
5.2 The Social Capital accruing from IY Qualitative data from parents indicatespositive acknowledgement of the programme and its benefits. Many parentparticipants indicated a desire for another programme. Parents also spoke of theaffirmation they received from the graduation ceremony (“finishing off the course in aprofessional way”) (PAUL, 2013). However, it would seem that the current training forthe parents is focused upon them in the context of their own children. The social capitalaccruing from this training seems to be somewhat overlooked. Humphreys (inHourigan, 2011) observes that high levels of trust and civic engagement (reflected inengagement in voluntary associations) are indicators of a developed‘social capital’. Thedata in the IY research implicitly indicates its role in developing social capital. Forexample, one parent indicated that she was attending her third IY course. There is aconsiderable bank of social capital in evidence in this single example.
Allied with the concept of social capital is the concept of reciprocity. Exploration of thisconcept would serve as a catalyst for empowerment as those who benefit from thetraining would be led to see their potential roles in the community. There is potentialfor extending the benefits of this training were these parents invited to share thebenefits with other parents in a peer mentoring context. Peer mentoring has beenreferred to by O’Connor and Mahony in 2010 and extends into later research. Forexample, one parent indicated the potential in meeting up regularly themselvessubsequent to the programme (PAUL, 2013b). Another indicated a wish to movebeyond focussing on his own child and promoting the programme to other parents(ibid). More focus may be needed on how to maximise the potential of these parentsas future trainers. There is evidence that this is being done informally (one parent statedthat she was invited to talk to newcomer parents on the course), (PAUL, 2013b), butthere needs to be a structured, more formal approach to extending the benefits of IYto the whole community. The issue of accredited training for participants emerges.Accredited training would yield significant benefits particularly in disadvantagedcommunities. Along with increasing a sense of confidence and empowerment in thecommunity, such training may also be a source of future employment. In fact one parentwho participated in a focus group indicated that IY contributed to her success in a jobapplication.
5.2 Sustainability A key challenge for any project is sustainability, how to bring theproject beyond the initial (and often novel) phase and embed it into the daily life of agroup, organisation or community. Participants in the O’Connor and Mahony evaluation(2010) identified a number of elements which they felt would make IY Limericksustainable.
42
Both the parents and teachers indicated through the focus group data that IY needs tobe extended to older children. While the rationale for implementation of theprogramme with pre-school and younger primary school children is understandable, itcannot be assumed that the impact will remain with every child. While the quantitativestudies undertaken by PAUL Partnership in Limerick indicate a positive impact uponthe children involved, it would be interesting to re-administer the surveys after a timelapse to determine long-term effects. Qualitative research with teachers (PAUL, 2013c)indicate concerns in this regard. Webster-Stratton refers to potential long-termoutcomes, including reduced youth anti-social behaviour and reduced specialeducation referrals, but she acknowledges that follow-up data in terms of suchoutcomes is not yet available. This is an important consideration particularly whenpresenting a rationale for ongoing support/funding of the programme.
All the evidence indicates that the majority of the parents who started the programmecompleted it and felt that it gave them a voice. Follow-up phone calls, home visits andthe coffee morning were all identified as key factors in keeping parents engaged in theretention of participants. The relationship between the Group Leaders was alsoidentified as an influential factor in the success of the programme as was the inter-agency relationships. Specific mention was made of the importance of the link betweenthe Parent Programme and Small Group Dina and involvement in both was animportant contributor to retention.
Teachers also commented on the opportunities provided by IY for them to meet, shareideas and learn from each other. The fact that representatives from a number of differentschools had the opportunity to meet together was seen as a very positive aspect of theprogramme.
A consistent issue that was evident in the later data related to the process of advertisingthe parenting courses. Parent participants in focus groups commented on the fact thatthere did not seem to be a structured or concerted approach to marketing the parentprogrammes and that this affected uptake (PAUL, 2013b). This issue also emerged in theAnnual Reviews of 2011 and 2012 (PAUL, 2011c, 2012b). However, it was acknowledgedthat sensitivity is required to ensure an appropriate match between Incredible YearsProgramme goals and participants’ needs and expectations (PAUL, 2012b).
The teachers who were surveyed stated that“selling”the programme to other teacherscould be done without much difficulty:
“You would definitely sell it. It’s very practical, it’s simple, it uses strategiesthat we are using really…”
“…making you more aware of them”
(PAUL, 2013b)
45
5.3 Organisational Issues A common theme to emerge from all of the research datarelates to organisational issues. In general, comments on the organisation of IY Limerickwere very positive.
When parents were asked about how the programme was run including practical issuessuch as materials and length of sessions, the reactions were positive. The response tothe refrigerator notes was encouraging; these helped to bring everyone on board (likegrandparents) and also helped to maintain a course of action when other constraintspushed the participants off course. The length of the sessions (two to three hours) wasappropriate and in fact some thought it could have been helpful if these were longer.With regard to the structure of the session, there was particular mention of sessions inwhich the facilitator showed some flexibility and allowed the topic to develop if thatwas appropriate (PAUL, 2013b). Some Group Leaders considered that the manualscould have been easier to use. Teachers participating in the TCM also considered thatthe structure of the programme and the breaks between training sessions wereappropriate:
“It was a good structure I thought”
“I wouldn’t change it, I would keep it that way”
(PAUL, 2013c)
Ethnic difference was identified as a problem in some groups in an end of programmereview in 2011 (PAUL, 2011b). This concern does not seem to have continued into laterdata. One parent participant in the 2013 focus group highlighted the positive aspectof a multicultural society, but considered that this could have been addressed more inthe programme:
“…the multicultural orientation in kids today, I think is fantastic.That wasn’t touched on a lot.It was shown on the vignettes but it wasn’t touched on…There should havebeen more time on that because we are so rich in culture now you know”
(PAUL, 2013b)
Concerns about difference seem to be confined to comments about social and culturalbackground in the vignettes. It was considered that the vignettes were outdated anddistant from the Irish context:
“I thought that we could really do our own vignettes with Irish…in Ireland, with our own system rather than using outdated 1980svignettes…”
(PAUL, 2013b)
Comments from teachers participating in the TCM demonstrated similar attitudes tothe vignettes.
44
Resources,methodologies,time allocation
Targetage-group
Communicationand
relationships
Promoting/marketing theprogramme
The voices of the child participants could be deemed toprovide the strongest endorsement of the IY project.
47
As regards the childcare allowance incentive for parents attending the programme,there was general agreement that this should be maintained since it helped to removea sense of obligation to family/friends for childcare (PAUL 2011b). In the 2012 annualreview it was suggested that there should be greater clarification of policies andprocedures regarding this issue (PAUL, 2012b).
Another concern in relation to promoting the programme lies in the fact that thereseems to be a considerable amount of research undertaken without due considerationgiven to the dissemination of the findings. The research by O’Connor and Mahony(2010) was presented at a conference in 2011, but there seems to be little evidence ofadditional dissemination. Schools and teachers (outside of those directly involved)need to become more aware of the potential for IY in their schools as the relevance ofthe project extends beyond the DEIS schools. This has been referred to in the StrategicPlan (2011-2015). Dissemination of learning has been referred to in the proposals toextend the programme which were submitted to the Department of Education andSkills in 2013, but this should be an ongoing, not a future, process. Consideration ofavenue of dissemination should be part of the ongoing work of the Strategic PlanningGroup with at least one conference identified each year. There is also considerablepotential for journal articles and book chapters.
5.4 Conclusion The learnings from IY Limerick are multiple and varied. The successand potential of the programme both in the school and community are clearly evident.Building on these learnings requires ongoing commitment, resources and funding. Thecommitment of PAUL Partnership and the related community organisations andservices, along with the schools, is an organic and cumulative process and it is evidentthat this commitment continues. Such commitment cannot depend on volunteerismalone, and thus the sourcing of funding into the future is a key concern of thestakeholders.
46
The commitment ofPAUL Partnershipand the relatedcommunityorganisations andservices, along withthe schools, is anorganic andcumulative processand it is evidentthat thiscommitmentcontinues.
“The programme helped greatly in knowing thatI could deal with tantrums and be able to ignoreinappropriate behaviour”
6Conclusion and
Recommendations
49
Future Programme Implementation
The evidence presented in the previous chapters demonstrates significant success interms of programme implementation; this is not a finite process. IY Limerick mustcontinue to build upon its success and with this in mind the followingrecommendations are proposed. These recommendations relate to both the structuresand management of the programme:
1. Maintain the coordination role of PAUL Partnership
2. Maintain and develop the holistic approach of IY
3. Consolidate existing initiatives, particularly those in more recent settings
4. Adopt a more structured and sequential approach to the parent programmeswith acknowledgement of continued participation possibly throughaccreditation
5. Reflect on extending accreditation beyond Group Leaders so that participantsare accorded more formal recognition of their involvement with theprogramme
6. Adopt a more structured approach to the review and implementation ofrecommendations of research studies
7. Explore the possibilities of creating more links with academic institutions. Linkswith Mary Immaculate College are already in evidence
8. Explore the possibilities of providing direct input on IY to various modules inInitial Teacher Education and other programmes
9. Investigate possibilities of adapting the vignettes to render them more contextspecific or alternatively, focus on assisting the facilitators to overcome theproblems relating to the vignettes
10. Possibly reorganise the manuals to ease delivery
11. Ensure that the materials reflect differentiation for participants with literacyproblems
The recruitment process still appears to be somewhat unclear with dependence, in themain, on advertising in various contexts. In addition, some of the processes employedto maintain participation, may need to be reviewed. The following recommendationsare made in relation to recruitment and marketing:
1. Review processes of recruiting participants (in particular parent participants)to the programme
2. Advertise the programmes more widely
3. Invite previous participants to become more actively involved in promoting theprogramme to potential participants
4. Review processes of maintaining participants, in particular, the provision ofmonetary incentives
5. Use the IY research base more effectively in terms of promoting the programme 51
Conclusion andRecommendations6Conclusion The researchers consider that overall, there is much about which toapplaud in the Incredible Years programmes. The overarching conclusions emergingfrom the data, in particular the qualitative data, are those of approval and endorsementof the programme. The IY Limerick Project is a significant example of partnership inaction, demonstrating recognition and understanding of an ecological approach tochild development. The project has been extended and developed since its inceptionwith participation increasing each year. Defined structures for dialogue among allstakeholders are in evidence with PAUL Partnership demonstrating efficiency,competence and capacity for facilitating the communicative process. Resources are, ingeneral, seen to be helpful apart from concerns about the vignettes. IY demonstratessignificant potential for becoming mainstreamed in the Primary School System, withpossibilities within the overall curriculum and particularly within AISTEAR and SPHE.Parent, teachers and children were mainly positive in their comments with almostuniversal approval of the methodologies employed. The opportunities provided toparents and teachers to meet and share ideas were welcomed by both groups. Theimportance of a whole-school approach to the programme was emphasised by theteachers. A wish to continue the programme is a recurring theme in the data. Evidenceof improvement in children’s behaviour is a consistent feature in terms of the successof the programme. This, in turn leads to enhancement of learning. Children felt anincreased sense of being cared for as a result of participation. Parents demonstrated agreater sense of confidence in their parenting skills and also viewed the programme asa means of self-development. They also commended the organisation of theprogrammes. Teachers found the programme helpful in developing their skills inbehaviour management. They also identified an increased sense of efficacy.
The researchers have listed a number of recommendations which they deem to be keyto the future of the programme. These recommendations have been categorised underthe following headings and sub-headings:
1 Future Programme Implementation- Structures and Management- Recruitment and Marketing
2 Influencing Policy Development3 Sustainability and Mainstreaming4 Research
50
Structures andManagement
Recruitment andMarketing
Recommendations
1. Focus on the Social Capital being generated by the IY programme, notably theconcept of ‘parent as citizen’ (this is also relevant to sustainability)
2. Focus on the contribution of IY to Community Development and Empowermentparticularly in the context of Regeneration Limerick
3. Maintain and develop the interagency approach and demonstrate its benefitsto other initiatives
Sustainability and Mainstreaming
Much has been written about sustainability in preceding chapters. Funding andembeddedness within the school emerged as consistent themes. Somerecommendations have already been made in the discussion and these are summarisedbelow:
1. Establish a sub-committee tasked specifically with obtaining long-term fundingfor the programme (recommendation in relation to matched funding below isalso relevant here)
2. Explore the potential in existing curricula and programmes (as above)
3. Explore the role of IY as part of CPD for practicing teachers
4. Continue to explore the potential of including IY as part of the B.Ed programme.(This process has begun, with IY featuring in a number of B.Ed CurriculumElectives in Mary Immaculate College)
5. Appoint an IY Co-ordinator in schools implementing the programme so that thefull potential of the programme can be reflected upon and realised in eachschool context. Research on the implementation of SPHE in primary schoolsindicates that schools who have a designated SPHE Co-ordinator demonstratehigher rates of implementation of SPHE (DES, 2009). It could be assumed fromthis evidence that a similar trend would occur in the case of schools withdesignated IY Co-ordinators
6. Acknowledge and utilise the extensive social capital emerging from the training,in particular the parent training, through the encouragement of participants toplace their training in a larger context, i.e. beyond the context of their own child
7. Maintain and develop funding structures possibly through matched funding:given that many stakeholders and participants give freely of their time, potentialfunders could be invited to match this contribution with funds (Cf. Appendix B)
8. Use the IY research data for locating and targeting possibilities for funding. Theresearch could be divided into sections with relevant sections used in particularcontexts
5352
Influencing Policy Development
The IY Strategic Plan (2011-15) identifies the enhancement of the integration processof the IY Programme within the wider social policy context in Limerick City as a key aim.It is evident in this review that programme delivery has expanded significantly sincethe inception of IY Limerick. The programme was initially introduced into three settings.The number of settings increased to 22 over a period of seven years. In addition, eightprogrammes of IY are being implemented in Limerick. The engagement andparticipation of the key stakeholders in IY Limerick has been effectively managed andfacilitated. The effectiveness of this process has been highlighted in Chapter Three.
While the Strategic Plan presents many local initiatives within which IY can beembedded, the research to date does not highlight this sufficiently. In addition, thereare a number of educational policy initiatives at national level wherein IY would be veryrelevant. The National Strategy for Literacy and Numeracy, the SPHE Curriculum, theAISTEAR Early Childhood Curriculum, the Education of Persons with Special EducationalNeeds (EPSEN) Act 2004, and the overall revised B.Ed programme as outlined by theTeaching Council (2011) are all relevant here.
The reviewers offer some additional recommendations in relation to policy at bothNational and Local level:
1. Demonstrate the importance and effects of a structured, coherent and holisticapproach to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) by using the example of IY
2. Make links with the National Strategy for Literacy and Numeracy, emphasisingthe impact of SEL on academic performance
3. Highlight the potential for the IY programmes to complement the vision of theTeaching Council 2011. This includes the links with reflective practice, CPD andlifelong learning.
4. Highlight the potential for links with the SPHE curriculum with specific referenceto the key characteristics of SPHE
5. Highlight the potential for links with the AISTEAR early childhood curriculum
6. Demonstrate the potential contribution of IY to children with diagnosed orundiagnosed special educational needs, particularly in the context of the EPSENAct 2004 and the National Council for Special Education Report on the Educationof Children with Challenging Behaviour wherein the use of IY was recommended
Note: All of these recommendations are relevant to the sustainability of the programmealso (see 6.2.3 below).
National Policy
Local Policy
IY Limerick Project is a significant example of partnership inaction, demonstrating recognition and understanding ofan ecological approach to child development.
5554
Research is identified as a key priority in the IY Strategic Plan (2011-15) and this reportis testimony as to the high profile accorded to research and evaluation in the IY Limerickprogrammes. The data collection process has evolved with the inclusion of the voicesof the children. There needs to be more cohesion between the research projects anda definitive attempt to disseminate them more widely, e.g. at national and internationalconferences and through peer-reviewed publications. The reviewers have provided anumber of recommendations in this regard:
1. Achieve more balance in terms of collection and presentation of data, priorityseems to be accorded to evaluation of parent programmes
2. Provide more evidence of links between the programmes in the research. Tothe reader the data is presented as being more discrete than linked
3. Link more definitively with recommendations of 2010 evaluation and includemore questions relevant to determining whether the recommendations havebeen achieved
4. Review overdependence on SDQ
5. Increase size of sample populations particularly in quantitative data
6. Explore various possibilities of disseminating the research
7. Focus on specific elements of the programme in future research
8. Explore the potential of IY as a catalyst for future education and/or employment
Research
IY Limerick provides aconcrete example of shared
responsibilityand partnership in action
Children felt an increased sense of being cared for as aresult of participation. Parents demonstrated a greatersense of confidence in their parenting skills and alsoviewed the programme as a means of self-development.
57
SelectedBibliographyArchways (2007). Service Manual: Implementing and Evaluating the Incredible YearsProgrammes in Ireland. Dublin: Archways (unpublished document) cited by O’Connorand Mahony (2010).
Azevedo, A., Seabra-Santos, M. J., Gaspar, M. F., & Homem, T. (2013). “The IncredibleYears Basic Parent Training for Portuguese preschoolers with AD/HDbehaviours: does it make a difference? “ Child Youth Care Forum. 42(5), 403-424.
Baker-Hanningham, H., Walker, S., Powell, C., & Gardner, J, M. (2009). “A Pilot Study ofthe Incredible Years Teacher Training Programme and a Curriculum Unit on Social andEmotional Skills in Community Pre-Schools in Jamaica”. Child: Care, Health andDevelopment, 35(5), 632-642.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979/1994). “Ecological models of human development”, inInternational Encyclopaedia of Education, 3, 2nd Ed. 37-43. Oxford: Elsevier.
Bryman, A. & Cramer, D. (2000). Quantitative Data Analysis with SPSS for Windows.London: Routledge.
Bywater, T., Hutchings, J., Evans, C., Parry, L. & Whitaker, C. (2011). “Research Protocol:Building Social and Emotional Competence in Young High-Risk School Children : APragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial of the Incredible Years Therapeutic (SmallGroup) Dinosaur Curriculum in Gwynedd Primary Schools, Wales”. Trials, 12 (39).
Cresswell, J. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed MethodsApproaches (2nd Edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Denscombe, M. (2004). The Good Research Guide. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Department of Health and Children. (2000). The National Children’s Strategy. Dublin:Government Publications.
Durlak, J., Weissberg, R., Dymnicki, A., Taylor, R. & Schellinger, K. (2011). “The Impact ofEnhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-BasedUniversal Interventions”. Child Development, January/February 2011, 82 (1), 405-432.
Fitzgerald, J. (2007). Addressing Issues of Social Exclusion in Moyross and otherdisadvantaged areas of Limerick City. Report to the Cabinet Committee on SocialInclusion.
56
The children’s sense of em
powerment and self-worth
along with
their endorsement of boun
daries, self-regulation and
the benefits
of play demonstrates the r
ole and importance of IY i
n promoting
the wellbeing, and in parti
cular, the mental wellbein
g of the child.
59
SelectedBibliography
PAUL Partnership (2011b). Incredible Years Parent Programme End of ProgrammeReview. 22nd June 2011. Limerick: PAUL Partnership (unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2011c). Annual Review 2011. Limerick: PAUL Partnership(unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2012a). Incredible Years Evaluation 2011-12. Limerick: PAULPartnership (unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2012b). Annual Review 2012. Limerick: PAUL Partnership(unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2012c). Teacher Classroom Management Research Findings 2009-2012. Limerick: PAUL Partnership (unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2013a). Programme locations and programme type to 2014. Limerick:PAUL Partnership (unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2013b). Focus Group Interview with parents who had completedschool readiness parenting programme. 12th June 2013. Limerick: PAUL Partnership(unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2013c). Focus Group Interview with four teachers who hadcompleted TCM. 6th June 2013. Limerick: PAUL Partnership (unpublished data).
PAUL Partnership (2013d). Focus Group Interview with parents who had completedbasic parenting programme. 28th May 2013. Limerick: PAUL Partnership (unpublisheddata).
Reedtz, C., Martinussen, M., Jørgensen, F., Handegård, B. & Mørch, W. (2011) "Parentsseeking help in child rearing: who are they and how do their children behave?", Journalof Children's Services, Vol. 6 (4), pp.264 -274.
Smith, J. & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Qualitativepsychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods. London: Sage, cited by Houlihan,(2013).
The Teaching Council (2011). Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines forProgramme Providers. Dublin: Teaching Council.
Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. J. and Hammond, M. (2004). Treating Children With Early-Onset Conduct Problems: Intervention outcomes for Parent, Child, and Teacher Training.Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. 33 (1), 105-124.
Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, J. & Stoolmiller, M. (2008).“Preventing conduct problems andimproving school readiness: evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher and ChildTraining Programs in high-risk schools”Journal of Child Psychol ogy and Psychiatry. 49(5), 471-488.
58
Glaser, B. & Strauss, A. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Chicago: Aldine, citedby Denscombe , (2004).
Goodman, R. & Scott, S .(1999.)“Comparing the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaireand the Child Behavior Checklist: Is small beautiful?” Journal of Abnormal ChildPsychology,27,17-24
Higgins, A. (2009). “Family, School, Community Educational Partnership Report:Literature Review”. In Galvin, J., Higgins, A.& Mahony, K. (eds), Family, School,Community Educational Partnership Report. Limerick: CDU, MIC.Houlihan, T. (2013). The Incredible Years dinosaur school programme: an interpretativephenomenological analysis of children’s experiences. Unpublished doctoraldissertation, Limerick: University of Limerick.
Hourigan, N. (ed.) (2011). Understanding Limerick: Social Exclusion and Change. Cork:Cork University Press.
Humphreys, E.(2011) “Social Capital, Health and Inequality: what’s the problem in theneighbourhoods?” In Hourigan, N. (2011) 185-210.
McCafferty, D. (2011). “Divided City: The social geography of Post-Celtic Tiger Limerick.In Hourigan, N. (2011), 3-22.
McGilloway, S., Ní Mháille, G., Furling, M., Hyland, L., Lackey, Y., Kelly, P., Bywater, T.,Comiskey, C., Lodge, A., O’Neill, D. & Donnelly, M. (2012). The Incredible Years IrelandStudy: Parents, Teachers, and Early Childhood Intervention. Dublin: Archways.
Morgan, M., Ludlow, L., Kitching, K., & O’Leary, M. (2010). “What makes teachers tick?Affective incidents in the lives of teachers”. British Educational Research Journal , 36,191-208
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (1999). Primary School Curriculum:Social, Personal and Health Education, Teacher Guidelines. Dublin: GovernmentPublications.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (2009). Aistear: The Early ChildhoodCurriculum Framework. Dublin: Government Publications.
National Educational Psychological Service (2010). Behavioural, Emotional and SocialDifficulties – A Continuum of Support –Guidelines for Teachers, Dublin: NEPS,www.education.ie
O’Connor, F. & Mahony, K. (2010). Incredible Years Limerick: Final Evaluation Report.Limerick: Mary Immaculate College.
PAUL Partnership (2011a). Incredible Years Limerick Strategic Plan 2011-2015. Limerick:PAUL Partnership.
It is evident that parents were convincedthat the programme contributed to their
development not only as parents butalso in the broadest sense.
The IY Parenting Programmes
The Incredible Years® parenting training intervention is a series of programmes forparents focused on strengthening parenting competencies and fostering parentinvolvement in children’s school experiences, to promote children’s academic, socialand emotional competencies and reduce conduct problems. The parentingprogrammes are grouped according to age: babies (0-12 months), toddlers (1-3years), preschoolers (3-6 years), and school age (6-12 years).
The parenting trainings are delivered in 12-20 weekly group sessions of 2-3 hours,according to developmental age of programme chosen. The sessions focus onstrengthening parent-child interactions and nurturing relationships, reducing harshdiscipline and fostering parents’ ability to promote children’s social, emotional, andlanguage development. Preschool and school age parenting programmes encourageparents as they learn to promote school readiness skills. They are encouraged topartner with teachers and be involved in children’s school experiences to promotetheir children’s academic and social skills, emotional self-regulation, and to reduceconduct problems. The programmes have protocols for use as a preventionprogramme or as treatment for children with conduct problems and ADHD.
The comprehensive Leader’s manuals for these programmes include questions topromote discussion for each video vignette, brainstorms and values exercises, roleplay practice exercises, home activities, handouts, and key points. There is a self-administered/home delivery protocol for the Toddler, Preschool Basic, and SchoolAge Basic programmes (www.incredibleyears.com)
Both Irish and international research attest to the effectiveness of the IY ParentTraining in modifying disruptive behaviour. McGilloway et al. (2012) demonstratesignificant differences in both child and parent outcomes subsequent to the BasicParent Training. PAUL, (2013) indicate the acknowledgement by parents of theeffectiveness in addressing behavioural issues with their children. All parentrespondents indicated a departure from negative disciplinary methods towardsmore positive approaches: rewards, emotional coaching, praise. Reedtz et al, (2011)indicate reductions in harsh parenting and child behaviour problems, anenhancement of positive parenting and of parents’ sense of competence subsequentto training. Azevedo, et al., (2013) report a decrease in self-reported dysfunctionalparenting practices and an improved sense of competence and observed positiveparenting of children with ADHD difficulties.
The parenting programmes are recommended by the American PsychologicalAssociation Task Force as meeting the stringent “Chambless criteria” for empiricallysupported mental health intervention for children with conduct problems.(www.incredibleyears.com).
61
Appendix A:Outline ofIncredible Years Programmes
60
“I have a better understanding of what schoolinvolves…
sharing ideas with other parentsled me see how children could be involved
around the house”
The IY Child Training Programmes
The Incredible Years® child training programmes use dinosaur-themed materials andlife-size puppets to engage children and strengthen social, emotional, and academiccompetencies. The child treatment programme (Small Group Dinosaur) is used bycounsellors and therapists in a small group setting to treat children with conductproblems, ADHD, and internalizing problems. The small group treatment programmeis delivered in 18-22 weekly 2-hour sessions.
The Classroom Dinosaur School child prevention programme consists of 60+classroom lesson plans for children 3-8 years old. Lessons are divided into three“levels” so that teachers/group leaders can determine what is the mostdevelopmentally appropriate material for their class. Teachers/Group Leaders use theprogramme as a prevention programme for an entire classroom of students. Theprogramme curriculum sessions are delivered by the teacher twice weekly andsustained over consecutive years.
The child programmes can be offered in conjunction with the preschool or schoolage parenting programme. The training strengthens children’s social and emotionalcompetencies, such as understanding and communicating feelings, using effectiveproblem-solving strategies, managing anger, practicing friendship andconversational skills, and behaving appropriately in the classroom(www.incredibleyears.com).
Evidence from teachers using the SDQ demonstrates a decrease in the percentage ofchildren falling within the ‘abnormal’ range, with a small increase in children fallingwithin the ‘borderline’ range and a notable increase in the percentage of childrenfalling within the ‘normal’ range in the total difficulties scale from the Dina in theClassroom and small group Dina programmes (O’Connor and Mahony, 2010).Subsequent research demonstrates similar patterns with statistically significantincreases in 5 out of six scales. The only anomaly is in the Emotional Symptoms Scale(PAUL, 2013). McGilloway et al did not focus specifically on the Child programmes intheir research. At an international level, Webster-Stratton et al (2008) demonstratedthe efficacy of the Dina programmes, particularly in the context of educationaldisadvantage.
63
Appendix A
The IY Teacher Classroom ManagementProgramme
The Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) programme is a prevention programmeto strengthen teacher classroom management strategies, and promote children’sprosocial behaviour and school readiness (reading skills). The programme is dividedinto 6 full day workshops, spread out with time in between each workshop so thatteachers have time to practice the new skills they are learning. The programme hasbeen shown in control group studies to reduce classroom aggression and non-cooperation, and promote peer interaction, school readiness, and enjoyment withschool activities. It focuses on ways teachers can effectively collaborate with andsupport parents’ school involvement, and promote home-to-school consistency. TheTeacher Classroom Management Programme is useful for teachers, teacher aides,school psychologists, and school counsellors (www.incredibleyears.com).
Similar to the parent programmes, the success of the TCM training is evidenced atlocal, national and international level. O’Connor and Mahony (2010) indicate thatteachers demonstrated a statistically significant increase in effective classroommanagement strategies post-intervention. In addition, teachers indicatedsatisfaction with the overall TCM programme in terms of: student behaviour wherethere was a plan in place; expectations of good results from workshop;appropriateness of the approach to changing students’ behaviour problems. Furtherresearch among participant teachers (2009-2012) indicate a statistically significantincrease in both student engagement and classroom management and increases inefficacy scores regarding instructional strategies (PAUL, 2012c). McGilloway et al(2012) highlight statistically significant differences between teachers whoparticipated in the TCM programme and a control group who did not participate.These differences relate to self-reported frequency of use and perceived usefulness ofpositive classroom management strategies. There was also a significant decrease inthe self-reported frequency of use of inappropriate strategies for managingmisbehaviour. Research by Fergusson et al, (2013) in New Zealand indicate similarfindings in relation to the TCM programme: Before and after comparisons showedthat after the provision of IY teachers reported significant (p < 0.001) increases in thefrequency of use and usefulness of positive behaviour management strategies. Inaddition there were generally high levels of teacher satisfaction with various aspectsof the programme.
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16 Research support for a given treatment is labelled “strong” if criteria are met for what Chambless et al.(1998) termed “well-established” treatments. To meet this standard, well-designed studies conducted byindependent investigators must converge to support a treatment’s efficacy. Research support is labelled“modest” if criteria are met for what Chambless et al. (1998) termed “probably efficacious treatments.”Tomeet this standard, one well-designed study or two or more adequately designed studies must supporta treatment’s efficacy. In addition, it is possible for the “strong and “modest” thresholds to be met througha series of carefully controlled single-case studies. For a full description of the Chambless criteria readersare referred to Chambless et al. (1998). In addition, this site labels research support “controversial” ifstudies of a given treatment yield conflicting results or if a treatment is efficacious but claims about whythe treatment works are at odds with the research evidence (www.div12.org)
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Appendix B:Selected Quantitative Results17
Table A.1: Parent SDQ Scores before and after Participation in Parent Programme 2012-13(N = 53; 44 from Basic Parenting Programme, 9 from Infant and Parent Programme)
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EmotionalSymptoms Scale
ConductProblems Scale
HyperactivityScale
Peer ProblemsScale
Total Difficulties
Pro-Social Scale
Pre-Programme
34.6%
52.8%
34%
35.8%
37.7%
11.3%
Post-Programme
26.4%
35.8%
22.6%
25%
24.5%
1.9%
Pre-Programme
11.5%
11.3%
15.1%
11.3%
24.5%
3.8%
Post-Programme
5.7%
18.9%
9.4%
19.2%
15.1%
3.8%
Pre-Programme
53.8%
35.8%
50.9%
52.8%
37.7%
84.9%
Post-Programme
67.9%
45.3%
67.9%
55.8%
60.4%
94.3%
Abnormal Borderline Normal
Table A.2: Parent SDQ Scores before and after Participation in Parent Programme (2010-11)(N = 74)
EmotionalSymptoms Scale
ConductProblems Scale
HyperactivityScale
Peer ProblemsScale
Total Difficulties
Pro-Social Scale
Pre-Programme
22%
43%
30%
31%
36%
8%
Post-Programme
24%
23%
14%
25%
16%
5%
Pre-Programme
11%
19%
14%
22%
16%
6%
Post-Programme
18%
19%
12%
20%
20%
8%
Pre-Programme
67%
38%
56%
47%
48%
86%
Post-Programme
58%
58%
74%
55%
64%
86%
Abnormal Borderline Normal
Table A.3: Parent SDQ Scores before and after Participation in Parent Programme 2012-13Teachers N = 34, Student N= 436)
EmotionalSymptoms Scale
ConductProblems Scale
HyperactivityScale
Peer ProblemsScale
Total Difficulties
Pro-Social Scale
Pre-Programme
2.7%
17.7%
16.9%
8.9%
13.9%
15.1%
Post-Programme
2.7%
12.2%
15.1%
5.5%
9.4%
12.3%
Pre-Programme
3.0%
6.7%
6.8%
4.1%
11.0%
10.7%
Post-Programme
2.1%
6.7%
3.9%
4.6%
9.9%
4.8%
Pre-Programme
94.3%
75.7%
76.3%
86.9%
75.1%
74.2%
Abnormal Borderline Normal
Table A.4: Teachers’ ratings of 172 children before and after DINA programme: 2011-2012(N teachers = 14, N students = 172)
EmotionalSymptoms Scale
ConductProblems Scale
HyperactivityScale
Peer ProblemsScale
Total Difficulties
Pro-Social Scale
Pre-Programme
9%
12%
17%
6%
11%
7%
Post-Programme
3%
11%
12%
2%
7%
6%
Pre-Programme
4%
9%
7%
2%
6%
6%
Post-Programme
2%
9%
4%
2%
4%
2%
Pre-Programme
87%
79%
76%
92%
83%
87%
Pre-Programme
95%
80%
84%
96%
89%
92%
Abnormal Borderline Normal
Post-Programme
94.7%
81.2%
81.0%
89.9%
80.7%
82.9%
17 Data in yellow indicate changes are statistically significant at the 95% confidence interval
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Table A.5: Percent Positive/Very positive Views (School Readiness Parent Programme)( N = 15) 2012-2013
The overall contribution by Programme Partners in 2011 was €399,057.06
Skills in assisting readiness
Confidence in playing with child
Confidence in reading with child
Expectations of starting school
Approaches to assist readiness
Content of information
Feeling about achieving Goals
93%
87%
100%
93%
93%
100%
100%
14
13
15
14
14
15
15
Feature Percent Positive/Very Positive Number
Table A.8: Cost of organisations’ contribution to individual programmes in monetary terms (2011)
3373
5163
2
ParentInfant ProgrammeToddler ProgrammeParent ProgrammeSchool Readiness
ChildSGDDina In the ClassroomDina In the Preschool
TeacherTCMTCM - Participant
Total
15,929.0422,977.4860,979.5217,997.00
57,010.80174,853.1211,668.32
8,342.4029,299.50
399,057.06
Number Percent Positive/Very Positive Number
Table A.7: Time contribution for each Incredible Years Programme and each Individual elementof the programme
Parent
Infant Programme
Toddler Programme
Parent Programme
School Readiness
Child
SGD
DIC
Teacher
Participant
Group leader
12 hrs per session by 8 sessions 96 hrs
12 hrs per session by 12 sessions 144 hrs
12hrs per session by 14 sessions 168 hrs
12hrs per session by6 sessions 72 hrs
7 hrs per session by 20 sessions 140 hrs
2 hrs per session by 60 session 120hrs
10 hrs per sessions by 5 days training 50hrs
20 hrs per session by 5 sessions 100hrs
10hrs
10hrs
10hrs
10hrs
10hrs
10hrs
10hrs
10hrs
Percent Positive/Very Positive Number
18hrs
18hrs
18hrs
18hrs
18hrs
18hrs
18hrs
Number
124
172
196
100
168
148
60
128
Number
Table A.6: Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scores 2009-2012 (N = 63)( N = 15) 2012-2013
Student engagement
Instructional Strategies
Classroom management
Ability to get through toStudents
Understanding studentswho are failing
Response to defiantstudents
7.00
6.99
6.72
6.28
6.50
6.58
8.05
7.48
7.92
7.71
7.21
7.36
p<05
ns
p<05
p<05
p<05
p<05
Scale Pre-programme score Post-programme score Significance
“One of the major challenges in teaching is isolation from colleagues…thisexperience helped to overcome this feeling of being on my own when
important matters have to be decided”